Bill Cosby is returning to NBC. The network confirmed Wednesday that Cosby will star in a new family comedy to be produced by Tom Werner, who with Marcy Carsey produced The Cosby Show. The show will feature Cosby as the patriarch of a multi-generational family.
The series is in the early stages of offseason development outside the normal pilot timeframe with no script and no studio attached.
NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt admitted Sunday at his TCA winter press tour executive session that “comedy has proven to be very difficult for us,” and suggested possible shakeups to the network’s traditional Thursday-night comedy block—the night where The Cosby Show was a ratings force during it 1984-92 run.
Regarding freshman Thursday night comedies The Michael J. Fox Show and Sean Saves the World, Greenblat said, “Creatively, we think they're good shows, and we're really unhappy that we can't find an audience for them in those time periods.” He gave no definitive answer on whether the two series would be renewed. He did however commit to a seventh season of Parks and Recreation and express optimism regarding the future of Community.
